1. Field
This invention relates to the interconnection of electrical or electronic components into circuits. More particularly, this invention relates to methods, systems and components useful for constructing electronic circuits, including experimental circuits, and for effecting electrical interconnection in electrical systems or circuits.
2. State of the Art
Electronic circuit boards are well known in the art. Typically, the circuit board has a number of different electronic components such as resistors, capacitors and the like, including semi-conductor chips and integrated circuits (IC's), all assembled and interconnected to be an electrical or electronic circuit or a part thereof for use in a particular application. Circuit boards are commonly used today in a wide variety of devices, including televisions, radios, computers, pocket calculators, micro-processors, amplifiers and the like. The ever evolving advancement in the electronic arts, including the development of new electronic devices and circuits therefor, is ongoing.
In the past, a particular function or circuit specification would necessarily need to be translated into a specific circuit design by a circuit designer. The process has in the past involved the development of detailed drawings to reflect the various interconnecting conductors and components followed by the development of an experimental or prototype circuit board which has sometimes been referred to as a breadboard circuit. That is, a one-of-a-kind circuit would be manually constructed by technicians using wires, connectors and the like in order to prove the functionality of the circuit and to determine whether or not the circuit, as constructed, will perform the desired function or meet the desired specifications originally outlined for it.
In recent years, the design of electronic circuits has been facilitated through the development of computer aided design (CAD) systems. That is, the computer is programmed so the circuits may be designed more accurately and more rapidly by the design person. However, even with the use of computer-aided design technology, the breadboard circuit must still be constructed by hand in order to verify that the designed circuits meet the intended function or design specifications.
The construction of an experimental or prototype circuit is typically a complicated and lengthy process. The circuit, as designed, must be manually constructed using components that are soldered onto various boards and then hand wired together as required by the design itself. This is time-consuming and the process can be error prone. After the wiring work is done, one may need to do considerable testing, reevaluation, and in some cases, reworking. After an experimental or breadboard has been verified to be properly assembled, it is then tested to see if the circuit, as designed, really meets the specification or desired function. If not, changes may need to be made and manually incorporated within the involved specification. Eventually, a circuit design is established that is then used as the basis for developing a mass production circuit board in accordance with the experimental board. A variety of processes or systems are used to construct a commercialized or production circuit board which are not here involved.
In view of the considerable cost associated with the construction and testing, and thereafter reworking of experimental or prototype or breadboard circuits, it is desirable to have a system to construct prototype boards or breadboard circuits more efficiently and with less error. Further, it would be desirable to have a system in which the various circuit connections could be automatically made to minimize, and even avoid, manual soldering of wires and connections to construct an experimental or prototype or breadboard circuit.
In the electrical and electronic arts, it is also frequently required to effect a plurality or matrix of connections through a switch panel or an array of connectors. For example, in telephone systems, it is frequently desired to have an array of connections to interconnect telephones within an office area as well as to permit interconnection to a plurality of outside lines. A switch panel or a switching matrix is presently widely used to affect such connections through the use of a plurality of terminals which are interconnected through a plurality of wires manually connected to the terminals to affect the desired connections. Further, there are numerous other applications in the electrical arts in which electrical systems may from time to time require alternate electrical connections which are affected through matricies of switches or a network of manually made wire connections.
To effect changes to the electrical systems, as above noted, a technician must ordinarily manually make wiring changes which in turn make such changes subject to error. In addition to simple wiring errors, problems can evolve from poor connections, cracked wires and the like. Further, manual wiring activity is time-consuming and in turn expensive.
A system to rapidly and simply affect the connections for such a connector matrix is not available and would be desirable.